A semantic complement to enhance electronic market

Consumers prefer to purchase bundled and related products to use them together to perform a task or satisfy a need. In this paper, we propose a complementary association for bundling products to enhance promotions, recommendations and selling strategies in marketplaces such as combinatorial auction. We propose an ontology based model and define a Need association to determine complement of product classes. Using this type of association, we develop a mathematical model to relatively measure complementary degree of classes and the latest purchased products to recommend Top-N products. We experiment this approach with a recommender system utilizing complementary products. Experimental results on the dataset of Building Equipment Company show superiority in terms of performance and precision.     

The dorsal raphe nucleus is a site of action mediating the behavioral effects of benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist DMCM.

Systemic administration of benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonists leads to behavioral changes similar to those produced by inescapable shock (IS). The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is a critical structure mediating IS effects. The present experiments determined whether the DRN is a site mediating the behavioral changes produced by benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonists. Microinjection of the inverse agonist Methyl 6,7-Dimethoxy-4-ethyl-β-carboline-3-carboxylate (DMCM) in the region of the DRN produced enhancement of fear conditioning as assessed by the amount of freezing in the presence of shock cues as well as interference with shuttlebox escape learning assessed 24 hr later. Furthermore, lesion of the DRN blocked the effects of systemic DMCM on fear conditioning and escape learning. These data suggest that the DRN is indeed critical in mediating these behavioral consequences of DMCM and further support a role for the DRN in producing the behavioral changes induced by IS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Synthesis and characterization of corrosion protective polyurethanefattyamide/silica hybrid coating material

For the first time, polyurethanefattyamide/silica [PULFAS] based organic-inorganic hybrid coatings were prepared at ambient temperature to combat the corrosion of mild steel. The coating material was synthesized in situ by the reaction of Linseed diol fattyamide (HELA) and tetraethoxy orthosilicate (TEOS, 20-30 phr) at 80 °C, followed by the addition of calculated amount of toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) in the reaction setup at room temperature. The formation of PULFAS was confirmed by FTIR spectral technique while morphology of the same was observed by optical micrography. The physico-mechanical properties of PULFAS coatings such as scratch hardness, impact resistance, bend test and gloss along with coating thickness were evaluated by standard methods. Thermal stability of PULFAS was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Curing behavior of PULFS was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Corrosion resistance performance of the hybrid coatings was evaluated by potentio dynamic polarization (PDP) measurements in different corrosive environments at room temperature. Salt spray test of PULFAS coatings was carried out in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The corrosion protection mechanism of the same was also investigated. The results showed that PULFAS coatings exhibit good physico-mechanical properties with excellent performance against the corrosive environments.     

Migration behavior of aromatic amines on alumina thin layers developed with water-in-oil microemulsion

Water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsions consisting of surfactant [sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or N-Cetyl-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium bromide], water, heptane or hexane, and a cosurfactant (1-pentanol or butanol) have been used as a mobile phase in combination with alumina, microcrystalline cellulose, silica gel G, silica gel H, and Kieselguhr thin layers to study the retention efficiency of amines. The separation of amines from their ternary and binary mixtures is achieved. Thin layers of alumina as the stationary phase and SDS/water/heptane/1-pentanol microemulsion as mobile phase is identified as the best chromatographic system for amine analysis. The limits of identification and dilution are reported for amines. Effects of heavy metals, anions, and phenols on the separation efficacy of diphenylamine-p-chloroaniline-p-nitroaniline have also been examined. The effect of electrolyte in the microemulsion on amine mobility is investigated. The o- and p-isomers move faster compared to the m-isomer of aniline.     

Phytomedicines to Target Hepatitis B Virus DNA Replication: Current Limitations and Future Approaches

Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) is one of the most common causes of hepatitis, and may lead to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 296 million people worldwide are carriers of the hepatitis B virus. Various nucleos(t)ide analogs, which specifically suppress viral replication, are the main treatment agents for HBV infection. However, the development of drug-resistant HBV strains due to viral genomic mutations in genes encoding the polymerase protein is a major obstacle to HBV treatment. In addition, adverse effects can occur in patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs. Thus, alternative anti-HBV drugs of plant origin are being investigated as they exhibit excellent safety profiles and have few or no side effects. In this study, phytomedicines/phytochemicals exerting significant inhibitory effects on HBV by interfering with its replication were reviewed based on different compound groups. In addition, the chemical structures of these compounds were developed. This will facilitate their commercial synthesis and further investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying their effects. The limitations of compounds previously screened for their anti-HBV effect, as well as future approaches to anti-HBV research, have also been discussed.     

Effectiveness of silane monomer on chitosan films and PCL-based tri-layer films

Chitosan films were prepared by casting from its 1% (w/w) solution. Tensile strength (TS), tensile modulus (TM), and elongation at break (Eb%) of chitosan films were found to be 30 MPa, 450 MPa, and 8%, respectively. Silane monomer (3-aminopropyl tri-methoxy silane) (1–7%, w/w) was added into the chitosan solution (1%, w/w), and films were casted. The highest TS (38 MPa) and TM (620 MPa) values were found at 5% (w/w) silane content films. Polycaprolactone (PCL) films were prepared by compression molding; the values of TS, TM, and Eb of PCL films were found to be 12 MPa, 226 MPa, and 70%, respectively. Using chitosan and silane containing chitosan films, PCL-based tri-layer films were prepared by compression molding. Chitosan (also silane-incorporated chitosan) content in the tri-layer films varied from 10 to 50% by weight. The values of TS and TM of the silane containing composites were found to be 21 and 410 MPa, respectively, which is significantly higher (40% TS and 34% TM) than control composites. Molecular interactions due to silane addition were supported by FT-IR analysis. The surface of the films and the interface of the tri-layer films were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Linseed amide diol/DGEBA epoxy blends for coating applications: Preparation,characterization, ageing studies and coating properties

Linseed amide diol [HELA] was used as modifier for conventionally available epoxy resin [DGEBA] by blending in different ratio. Blends [DGEBA/HELA] were subjected to spectral, physico-chemical, ageing and antibacterial studies. Interesting features of the blends were complete miscibility of HELA with DGEBA, principally due to hydrogen bonding and chemical reaction between the two constituents, and their moderate antibacterial activity against S. aureus. DGEBA/HELA blends were further treated with triethylenetetramine [TETA-A] [DGEBA/HELA/A] as curing agent to evaluate their performance as corrosion protective coating materials. DGEBA/HELA/A coatings showed good physico-mechanical and chemical resistance behavior, in particular against alkaline media. Thermal analysis of DGEBA/HELA/A revealed their single to multi-step degradation behavior with safe usage upto 220 °C. Our investigations confirm the dual role of HELA as environment-friendly, reactive-modifier and mild curing agent for epoxy resins. Besides, DGEBA/HELA/A may find potential applications as “solvent free”, ambient temperature cured antibacterial coating materials.